Most Beloved Child
by Kayi Rowling
Summary: SofuD, PapaD-VescaHowell / post-vol.10 / Sofu D hadn't known... He hadn't even imagined... that the full moon could persuade him so.
1. Introduction

**Most Beloved Child**_**  
Kayi Rowling**_

_**Pet Shop of Horrors**__ / spoilers __**volume 10  
Speculation: **__Papa D - Vesca Howell  
Family / Angst __** PG-13  
Warning: **__Shounen-ai. From speculation to alternate reality._

SofuD, PapaD-VescaHowell / post-vol10 / Sofu D hadn't known... He hadn't even imagined... that the full moon could persuade him so.

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Author's Notes:**_

This one-shot was written on a whim. Still, I was not high in sugar, or in coffee, or was sleep-deprived. This was written over the course of a school week whenever free time coincided with inspiration… which was often, if I managed to finish, really.

It's a small, 4000-word one-shot (oh my, how small, isn't it? What a joke…). It wasn't externally beta-read, yet had nearly 20 alpha-reads and a last internal beta-read before being uploaded.

As well, I have put some of my hypothesis in a literary form. Three of them, being main:

1. Papa D didn't reincarnate into a human. This doesn't mean what you see in other fanfics, that he became a child kami… This means he didn't even bother in reincarnating _at all._ As well, be mindful that he managed to take Vesca Howell's life before the child even appeared. Please, do the math; it's an easy equation…My hypothesis: the child is a human-kami hybrid of sorts, _probably_ child to Papa D and Vesca Howell.

2. Eye color on the kami. I possess an hypothesis for this, even when the term _eye heterochromia_ does exist, and does happen; do consult Wikipedia for further information (I want to have eye heterochromia!). Anyways, what I think about the kami being able to have mismatched eyes (only case we know being our D), is that it is determined by separate genes. In other words, my hypothesis: each eye has its iris' color determined by a different set of genetic information, therefore making one independent from the other…

3. Papa D didn't hate humans (that much). He could be defined, in terms borrowed from a kami's point of view, as a _philanthropist,_ even. He did study a career (half-way, at least), accepts human science, and, from the version of the manga I got to read, hasn't sold a pet in his life (one never sees people saying, unless in a scientific or truly human environment, "hey, Count D! It's you!" whilst actually thinking of his father, or, perhaps, D replying: "oh, you must be thinking of my father…" instead of the usual reference to Sofu).  
As well, have in mind that he was "just playing" with the minds of Vesca, Leon, and his own son on the last chapter of the manga; that wasn't a deadly virus, just a nice little switch to blow up the top of the building… Apparently, he had previously thought about it (maybe not a lot…), since he didn't say a thing until Sofu and D had made their presences known, and both were "distracted"; I do believe he wanted all the living kami to just die off, really. His last words, to me, were just what Sofu would have liked him to say to D, but he was actually happy to die, that it was one less of their kind…  
Many more arguments, I do possess, yet this is already too long, so now follows my hypothesis: Papa D was a philanthropist kami, which is viewed as insane in their terms, therefore causing his almost complete banishment from their midst.

Do excuse me for dragging my Author's Notes almost infinitely, but I would have been forced to add a chapter after the story itself to explain all of it (I would have probably put _even more things_ if that had been the case, but I'm a lazy writer, so no; if too confused, don't hesitate to contact me).

Now, I leave you with the story. Do read and enjoy. That's my priority, even over reviews, which would be an extra-kindness from you, reader. Do not hesitate to flame either; everyone has the right to say as they please…

**Read and Enjoy,** please.


	2. Most Beloved Child

Sofu D hadn't _known;_ hadn't even_ imagined..._

As he saw the young child fall asleep, as he had for the whole past year, the temptation of having his hands close around that slender and frail neck just increased, knowing the damage it would make: the _halfling_ would meet his end, at one year of age… Twelve months that had been a torture for the immortal spirit of Nature, the oldest of those still alive, since he had been _fooled_ by the simplest of mirages, since he had believed all along that his one and only son had indeed reincarnated into a human being.

Until recently, he had remained ignorant of such effect upon the child. Until recently, had the illusion fallen and shattered, allowing him to see the truth: not his son in human flesh, but a creature born out of the strangest fusion of two souls. Beyond the simple sharing and passing down of genetic material, a mortal human and a kami had given their last breath, triggering another, birthing a rare hybrid that belonged nowhere and had nothing...

This, of course, was not _everything._

Over it was the fact that the child had ended up looking more after the human than Sofu would have _ever_ wanted; he had dismissed it as his son's rather unhealthy obsession over the mortal, the cause of the cloning of his image. The outer appearance, _this_ Sofu had been aware of while the illusion had lasted, and it had always been a bother of its own, what with the child feeling foreign all the time, even with the conviction of the reincarnated soul that would, someday, bloom once more... and hopefully into a more docile mind, one that would be _finally_ rid of the crazy idea that was philanthropy.

Yet the child had shown no signs whatsoever of even a remote connection to the kami, besides of a simple physical glitch: mismatched eyes, one green as the mortal's, the other a deep violet. He grew up at the same pace as human children. Nature did bend not to his presence, or even acknowledge it at any moment... _"Later,"_ Sofu usually told himself, when his patience menaced with running out. _"Later it shall be. It will take time, but he will return."_

Now, those thoughts were nothing more than a silly dream, or a wish, perhaps, which would never find its realization or, even, a simple answer. Since half-way through the year, they had seemed so; hope just _wasn't_ in a kami's job description, and was even less likely to occur when mated to such a long period of time. And still, he had let the child go on without interruption in his path, without an inquiry that would have saved time and effort, as well as the humiliation of a shattered hope that kept him foolishly blind...

A soft sigh, the evening of the child's breathing; he had fallen asleep. And the decision had been taken: _"Not tonight."_

Why? It just seemed impolite to kill a child on the eve of his very first birthday. Maybe the day after it, he would dare? Perhaps...

The chimes of a clock as it became midnight were the only sounds defying the eternal quiet a kami knew well how to keep, yet humans were too noisy to; Sofu's steps as he left the room were drowned by the soft breathing coming from the child on the bed. Even the closing door was barely above the whispers of the wind, as it was slowly being pulled back to its original position.

...the last of the clock's chimes ended then, with a finality that could only be compared to Death's own. Breath was drawn in, hearts stopped, in that precise second afterwards. And the moonlight took form within the child's room, before the door was closed entirely.

The eerily white light moved to touch the sleeping halfling's face, gently pushing soft light-brown hair away. The shine took form: a slender hand, with long and graceful fingers, ending in painfully sharp nails, which could only be distinguished if one stared for the right amount of time, as they were just a discreet shade darker than the rest of the hand. The light slowly flowed upwards, the clearing haze revealing an arm, covered by the thinnest of clothings, opaque enough, yet with the consistence of air; a ghostly veil, a sleeve...

A single golden eye was peering into the room now, the rest of its owner's body, thankfully, hidden by the darkness of the hallway. The shadows, scared of the moonlight, were also pulling him back, calming him down, avoiding the surely hasty retreat of the unannounced midnight guest if discovered. And Sofu silently made his gratitude to the darkness known. After all...

The pale spirit's shoulder was the last the kami saw before the ghost leant forwards, the moon's shine quickly spreading with a sudden burst of faded light and revealing that which used it as cloak. The already seen hand had been cupping the child's cheek, and now a long and silky curtain of midnight black hair partially obscured the sight: an eternally beautiful visage, black eyelashes veiling bright eyes, light lavender lips brushing softly against the young one's forehead.

And, just then, Sofu D was fortunate that he had stopped experiencing, long ago, the uncomfortable feeling of shock, provoked by the unexpected, followed by gasps, screams or complete freezing, both physical and mental. As the ghost slowly rose and straightened back, opening deep violet eyes, lips and fingernails darkening in tone until reaching the same color and shade as the ethereal became nearly-physical... the kami saw his dead son, as he sat on the child's bed, hand still caressing his soft cheek.

A gentle smile took over those dark lips, and gave new light to those dark eyes; unlike anything ever seen before on Sofu's son's face, this expression was honest with its showed warmth. The madness brought by his innate philanthropy and subsequent life-long denial was gone, the coldness and apathy of his upbringing completely forgotten... Apparently, being dead made all those things seem small and unimportant, even when, whilst living, they had been nearly eternal, an ever-present inner torture.

Leaning forward once more, yet just to watch closely, the ghost kami let his hand drop to the soft pillow besides his halfling son's head, who just grimaced as the calming caress left his face. The moonlight-made apparition seemed to chuckle soundlessly at that, a more familiar smirk replacing the kind smile; a sign of wicked approval, as if he enjoyed his son's strong dislike for having his father's hand removed, even when the child was asleep, even when he didn't even _know_ his parent...

In a swift motion, the spirit rose and straightened once more, but this time to his feet, which could be seen bare beneath the hem of his clothing, the air-light silver robe he wore becoming mist at the dark wooden floor. His smile and smirk had both vanished by now, replaced by a hesitant expression as he neared the window by the bed, the access for the full moon's pure light. Watching it intently, minutes passed until he offered his upturned hand to the white beams. As they wrapped themselves around his slender fingers, slowly twisting their way up to his wrist, the smile returned.

_"Not him..."_ After all, everything had been just fine! His son, the child... Why _him_ now?

Sofu didn't interrupt the summoning, though. Just like he hadn't reacted in shock. Just like he hadn't killed the child before midnight... Just like he hadn't kept his son from his deathly game a year ago, in the presence of his beloved grandson and those two humans. Instead, he stood as the audience again, and nothing more; just see, just listen, yet do nothing, yet say nothing.

Another hand had materialized, very unlike the one it had such a tight grip on: this one was of darker skin, yet human white, as well as bigger, wider, wrinkled, dry, rough, slightly calloused... Strength was taken from the dead kami's already almost-materialized form, and, with one pull to the detached hand, the whole body appeared out of thin air and shiny moonlight.

Short light-brown hair, with some gray here and there, but, strangely enough, not scarce. Green eyes which kept a shine from a truly enjoyed and never forgotten youth, only for Sofu's son to see bare before him, otherwise always hidden behind the stern attitude characteristic of the old. The face had the distinguishing sharpness of the American male, and had nothing lovely in it. The body was average yet already mature; a high contrast, once more, to the shorter graceful figure facing him...

The human reached out with his free hand and pulled the kami closer to him, as the panic of not understanding the situation, of not understanding he was _dead,_ rose in his soul like smoke into the sky. A strong arm wrapped around a slight waist, the other around narrow shoulders; a pair of long finger-nailed hands grasping at the misty fabric of the other ghost's shirt, silently asking with violet eyes for his companion to remain calm.

In a language unknown to the living, the dead kami spoke with a voice so melodious, the dead human, nothing more than an altered beast, was soothed with such simple music. Only word Sofu understood, and wished he hadn't, was a name, as green eyes met violet: "Vesca." A mysterious smirk, that which had captivated the human when younger, followed, those thin and dark lips sealed, no more words coming from between them.

The awkward hug was over then, yet the human's hand reached up to touch the kami's face, a thumb by the corner of his mouth. The ease brought by the familiarity of the situation, even when it had been over two decades since a similar event, made the pair mutely sigh, green eyes half-open, while violet were fully closed. Those opened once more to reflect intense regret and pain, and, though many causes crossed his mind, Sofu didn't quite understand. A light push and a step back had both ghosts at a proper and respectable distance from each other.

The violet-eyed kami took hold of the human's hand then, and he guided him to the bed, where the child lay, still asleep but with his night-dreams already disturbed. More ghostly language, with the green-eyed male being shaken with the lent information, left dumbfounded for a second or two before he knelt by the bed. The silky curtain of black hair caressed the thin bedsheet with its tips as the dead kami sat on his previously occupied spot, eyes back to his son. _Their_ son.

Lightly caressing those soft locks of hair, the human's ghost seemed awed by the sight as it dawned on him that what the other had said was true. Never having an own child in life, the man found such joy in his death at the knowledge that this small creature was partly his, as well as the kami's. Which seemed like the _most insane_ thought ever: both being male yet having produced a perfectly healthy living son. _Just crazy!_ Though, with the seemingly magical influence of the Nature's spirits about, one could _never_ know what was too much to be believed...

Sofu's son's own hand returned to the child's cheek, running the very sharp ends of those fingernails over the young smooth skin, completely unmarred and perfect, which gave obvious pride to the father... referring to the _kami,_ of course; the American human would surely insist on be called _dad,_ considering the lack of respect and reverence Sofu himself had seen on such culture over the years. Hopefully, it wouldn't be genetic...

Green eyes then lifted to meet violet, yet those were still caught by those pale, closed eyelids. The ghost reached forward for the third time on the night, yet now both hands going to grab hold from right under the child's armpits.

And, surprisingly enough for the three that were conscious at the moment, the ethereal apparition could lift the halfling from the bed quite easily, not going through, not being unsteady. The dead kami didn't hesitate as he understood what he was capable of doing, and he pulled the child up onto his lap, always careful not to wake him. The dead human's ghost chuckled as he saw how the other, delighted out of his mind, hugged his son closer still, straightened to hold him more comfortably, watched over his sleep, practically purring in the soft whispers of the immaterial how dear he was to the pair...

And then a memory came back at Sofu: _"Not like you, not like me... I desire not that which is not unique, I shall love not that which is not only mine,"_ the words spoken when Sofu had taken his grandson from his rightful parent and master. Those had been out of spite; surely his son lied not about how much he had loved his own? Yet the yearning had been there all his life, along with his sick philanthropy: being _different,_ after all those before him, and even he himself, were all one and the same.

Now he had the chance, with a halfling for youngest child, with his strength and power transcending the barrier imposed by Death... as well as his undying liking for the human that now accompanied him, and that he had taken the life of whilst he had passed on himself; one had been unable to go on, the other unwilling to see the other slip from his fingers once more. A tragic tale of an eternal love, if one must call it that, since Sofu preferred _otherwise._

Even as he saw how the human's ghost rose and sat besides the kami's own apparition, both glimmering like a faded full moon, dulling the color of their child with that brightness yet loving him no less, Sofu D refused to acknowledge the possibility of a truce, even if it only involved the trio in the room for as long as the halfling lived. The three made the scene a rather moving moment, yet the oldest of the kami _still_ alive felt nothing over it... other than disgust.

_"Shouldn't have let them go on,"_ he thought, and the shadows recoiled from his figure as he rejected their cover, a golden-clawed, slender hand reaching out for the door once more. _"Should have killed the child before midnight. This mocks our whole purpose!"_

Both ghosts were startled as the door opened without even moving, as if it had been in that position all along, and the pair rose from the bed and faced the cloaked kami at the doorway. The sudden movement of the father that held him made the child start waking up, with a light groan and a sleepy pout, never being gone enough this night with his dreams. The glare coming from intense golden eyes made the human step half-way in between the two opposing Nature's forces that suddenly flooded the room with their presence, both hostile to a degree...

That broke the spell. The violet-eyed ghost pulled the child closer to his body, dark fingernails gleaming dangerously, yet the smirk on the owner's lips being a serious contradiction to the panic. "Father," he mouthed, unable to pronounce a word that would be understood by any living being, godly nature not considered.

Sofu's eyes narrowed at that, and he stepped forward until the dead human felt menaced enough to react, blocking his way. He looked every bit as aggressive as any of the major beasts when angered, yet the human being was a kind of creature that was cowardly by nature, thing his son had insanely declared was his amongst his favorite characteristics many times in the past; the ghost of the green-eyed American agent was no true danger, not even in the sense of the immaterial and spiritual, which was his current environment.

His chuckle was heard, unlike the moonlight-made apparitions', and his smirk's sight practically slapped his son's off his face. "My poor, foolish child," Sofu D whispered. "Dead and mute... And with just your _human pet_ for company. And with your despicable _halfling_ on the other side of the line... Again a parent, again a terrible one. How disappointing."

He saw how the horrible realization dawned on his son by the way his expression totally shattered into the truth of what he felt: _"Such a terrible parent, how disappointing,"_ the cursed words Sofu had said back then, when he finally let his son go, keeping his grandson to take care for and educate properly... And, truth was, now his son was even _less_ qualified: a kami's ghost, mated to an enemy human, with a halfling for only other and last child.

The way the violet-eyed one let himself fall back on the bed, sitting straight yet defeated, told Sofu that, indeed, his child was thinking along the same lines of memory, sensing how paralleled the current situation was to the past. Again would he have his beloved young taken from him for his father to care for and raise... or to kill, which seemed the most plausible of the options available. After all: what use was a halfling, with the noble blood of a Chinese kami running on the same veins as the oily stain of an American human's life?

The ghost kami looked down at a pair of mismatched eyes, right green and left violet. They were open and aware now, and were fixed on his parent's face, half confused, half amazed by his father. A small hand grabbed the front of the robe made of moonlight, and the child giggled happily as his fingers met something just partially solid, and really soft and warm, nice to the touch. Seeing how he wasn't reprimanded, he began pulling lightly on it, joyous.

Looking over his shoulder, his attention snapping away from Sofu, the human's eyes also focused on the awakened halfling. Curious, and surely also wanting some of the young one's time while he could, the apparition sat besides the other, waving at the child rather shyly and hesitantly. Bright eyes turned to fix themselves on his face, hand never releasing the silver robe, and, for a moment, the second father and his son stared at each other, before the child giggled again and reached out with his free hand to grasp two of the human's ghost fingers. The small bonding brought a wide smile to the American male...

Yet a tear rolled down from the Chinese kami's left eye, and fell on the halfling's bare arm. Such a little thing, an insignificant liquid drop, was seen by all in the room, almost as if it was the rising sun, almost as if it had a shine of its own. The ghost's face, though, was now hidden in shame by his long curtain of black hair, even when his _human pet_ and _halfling child_ showed their concern, one by grasping his slender shoulder tightly, while the other taking hold of the front of his silver robe with both little hands.

And Sofu remained standing at his spot, eyeing his son suspiciously. Kami did not shed tears, unless in great pain or anguish, and, generally, only _one_ fell, at times unique in their existence; yet the oldest of the pair could see how the violet-eyed one was about to let a _second_ tear drop. Whatever it was he felt, whatever it was he thought of... he was _suffering greatly._ Was it over the child, perhaps?

Now he heard that musical language once more, as the ghost kami decided to finally entrust the human's apparition with the truth behind his despair, yet he didn't show his face, and had his right hand going over his son's soft hair repeatedly, yet softly, delicately. A pair of green eyes glared at Sofu, and didn't let the hatred for a past wound to his previously immortal object of obsession waver. Amber eyes were cold in return, merciless and refusing to give his understanding and approval.

The halfling child was held close to his father's chest, the ghost of the younger Nature's spirit not allowing his face to be seen yet. Small arms reached out as far as they could, embracing the ghostly figure back to the best of his capability. The human's own apparition half-hugged his companion's shoulders, pulling him nearer, kissing the top of his black-haired head lightly. The kami relaxed against the green-eyed man, sighing softly his name.

...the human's ghost started to vanish, starting at his feet on the wooden floor. He whispered something to the other dead spirit, thing that probably was some kind of reasoning to keep him calm and make him understand what he refused to, by the way a heavy hand was soothingly massaging at his slender neck. A reproachful look was shot his way; he had accepted the advice, even when reluctantly. And Vesca Howell's ghost smiled at him, before vanishing entirely, back to where they both belonged now.

Son turned to look at his father, violet and amber meeting once more. Sofu could see the second tear's path, over that perfectly white and smooth skin, having being shed from the right eye this time, yet long gone and dry. The father of the halfling stood from the bed, still holding the child close, and he stepped forward.

"Do care of him for me," he mouthed again, slowly and carefully, so he could be understood. He offered the young one back to the living kami, frowning in sadness as his young son struggled to stay with him. Sofu, though, didn't move. He still observed, and just that...

"Not like I did for my grandson, I will not," he finally surrendered, as his own son's ghost started vanishing as well. He accepted the offered child, holding him close to himself just like the other kami had, attempting to calm him, yet with the love and care missing from his voice.

But that was enough for the violet-eyed one. His frown was gone; he didn't smile, though. His hands, with long and graceful fingers entwined, were kept at his front calmly. "Do procure a name for him, at least," D asked from his father with a slight, respectful bow.

"You shall know it in a year, when you return... my beloved son."

Their known smirk was the last on D's lips, along with his last words: "Same way, he is my son, my most beloved child. Do not forget." The father understood… and could empathize.

Sofu and the halfling child were then alone again. Sighing, the kami looked away, through the window and out to the full moon outside. Then he headed for the bed, placing the child back under the silken bedsheets. Caressing his cheek lightly, he saw where his son's second tear had fallen and dried. "Do have a happy first birthday, and many more prosperous years in your life... _David._" And he kissed the young one's forehead lightly, just like his father had done.

Sleep came back to the halfling easily, and the golden-eyed kami flowed out of the room, like a shadow, once more. As the door closed, Sofu D thought about it once more; he hadn't _known,_ or even _imagined,_ that he could be persuaded to accept that child, that halfling... _David,_ as a grandson of his.

_"Enjoy your peace, son. Your most beloved child now belongs in our midst."_

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Note:**_ David_ is a name that means_ Beloved.  
_  



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